Weekly Advance: Week of Nov. 5

TRENTON – The aftermath and utter devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy all but ensures the first week of November is too soon for many people in the region to feel any sense of normalcy.

The death toll from the super storm crept higher late last week as reports began to surface that the economic damage inflicted by Sandy could be more than double what was first estimated (some reports suggested damage could be $20 billion, but The New York Times reported Friday it could reach $50 billion).

Coastal communities have been destroyed and many New Jersey residents, some of whom were expected to be still without power this week, got their first glimpses of a forever-changed Jersey Shore when their power turned back on days after Sandy slammed the coast.

The Statehouse is quiet and committee hearings are nonexistent this week.

But despite the severity of the storm, Tuesday is still Election Day.

The nation will elect its 44th or 45th president and voters will decide on a variety of other public offices and referendum questions.

In the Garden State, Election Day is less of a toss-up and little in the way of tight races took shape in the state.

However, voters will decide whether to approve a $750 million bond referendum question for the state’s higher education institutions. The proposal is supported by Gov. Chris Christie and the leaders of the state Legislature.

Residents will also be asked whether judicial pensions should be required to bear the same burden other state pensions were forced to absorb when officials overhauled the state pension system.

Nonetheless, many residents in the state and region who were lucky enough to escape a life-threatening situation or the loss of their home are likely to be more focused on recovery efforts over following their five minutes in a polling booth.

We can expect, however, that Statehouse activities will resume in the coming weeks. At that time, we can expect lawmakers to assess how the state’s recovery has gone and then find ways to bring legislation to the table that could change the way the state reacts to future storms.